Intel chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard killed in Israeli strike
The intelligence chief of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been killed in an Israeli strike.
Brigadier General Mohammad Kazemi, head of the IRGC's Intelligence Organization, was assassinated along with two other intelligence officers, Hassan Mohaghdeh and Mohsen Bagheri, the Guards confirmed in a statement on Sunday evening.
The IRGC said it responded by launching missiles at Israeli 'intelligence centers' as part of the third wave of its ongoing barrage, dubbed Operation True Promise III.
The killing of Kazemi was first announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with Fox News on Sunday. 'I think we've set them back quite a bit,' Netanyahu told journalist Bret Baier.
Open hostilities erupted on Friday morning when IDF jets bombed military and nuclear sites across Iran in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as an operation to prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons. Tehran responded with a barrage of missiles, some of which struck residential areas in Tel Aviv and Bat Yam.
Israel also carried out targeted assassinations of senior Iranian commanders and veteran nuclear scientists after reportedly smuggling kamikaze drones into the country.
Iranian security officials said they discovered Israeli drones and explosives hidden in Tehran following the attacks.
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Israel strikes Iranian state broadcaster's office
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What did Israel and the United States hope to achieve through this betrayal? Regime change? The total submission of a sovereign nation to a militarized settler state forged in 1948? Are we now expected to believe that post-regime change, Tehran will suddenly embrace Tel Aviv – as some delusional pro-Israel ideologues like to fantasize? Incredibly, Israel now casts itself as the victim. Russia's deputy UN envoy Dmitry Polyansky brusquely described Israel's claims that it was only acting in 'self-defense' as 'very perverted logic.' But such perversion runs deep in the policies and pathologies of the Israeli state. As key Iranian infrastructure is bombed to ruins, and as Netanyahu urges Iranians to overthrow what he calls 'an evil and oppressive regime,' many Iranians are calling, ironically and defiantly, for their government to acquire nuclear weapons as the only credible deterrent against the endless cycle of sanctions, sabotage, targeted killings, and military strikes unleashed by the US-Israeli axis. Under such circumstances, can Tehran be blamed for cultivating and arming proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas in an effort to contain Israel? Just look at what Israel did to its neighbours before these groups existed. What makes Netanyahu believe that any post-Ayatollah government would be more pliant? If anything, it might be more resolute in seeking the ultimate deterrence. After all, Iran has been the target of unrelenting foreign aggression since the 1953 CIA-MI6 coup against nationalist Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. 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Despite hosting radical militant groups, Pakistan has behaved as a rational actor within the nuclear matrix. Similarly, a nuclear Iran could reduce its reliance on asymmetric proxy strategies – such as its support for Hamas or Hezbollah – because its security would primarily rest on deterrence. Some critics however warn that if Iran acquires nuclear weapons, Saudi Arabia may rapidly follow suit. A moot point, except that Riyadh bankrolled Islamabad's nuclear weapons program under America's watch during the 1980s Soviet-Afghan War which featured beloved 'anti-Soviet warriors' like Osama bin Laden! There are also persistent reports which suggest that some Pakistani nuclear assets may already be stationed in Saudi Arabia, under the command of senior Pakistani officers. In the event of a regional nuclear escalation, Riyadh can simply request transfer at will. Historical precedents also do not support alarmist non-proliferation fears. 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Germany to enhance security at ‘Jewish sites'
Germany is preparing for potential Iranian attacks targeting the local Jewish community, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has told journalists before departing for the G7 summit in Canada. He also conveyed Berlin's support for Israel, which has initiated a large-scale bombing campaign against Iran, sparking retaliation from Tehran. Merz justified the Israeli strikes, stating that diplomatic efforts have not convinced Iran to abandon its 'military nuclear program.' Tehran has repeatedly denied that it seeks to acquire nuclear weapons and maintains its nuclear program is civilian in nature. On Friday, Israel launched a major bombing campaign targeting Iranian military and nuclear sites, as well as its top commanders and veteran nuclear scientists. West Jerusalem claimed the move was needed to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran responded with missile barrages targeting the Jewish state. 'We are making preparations here in Germany in case Iran targets Israeli or Jewish [sites],' Merz told journalists on Sunday. The chancellor also demanded Iran 'immediately stop bombing civilian targets in Israel.' He did not make similar demands on West Jerusalem, arguing that 'Israel has the right to defend its existence and security of its citizens.' According to Merz, Israel had asked Germany to supply it with fire extinguishing equipment. The chancellor vowed to facilitate the delivery 'immediately.' On Saturday, France also announced it would boost security around Jewish and US sites. 'Special' attention should be given to 'all sites that could be targeted by terrorist or malicious acts by a foreign power,' Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said in a memo sent to regional security chiefs that was seen by AFP. The order covered 'Israeli and US interests as well as… establishments in the Jewish community,' according to the news agency. Israeli strikes have caused at least 406 deaths and 654 injuries in Iran as of Sunday, according to the group Human Rights Activists. According to Israel's emergency service Magen David Adom, Iranian strikes have killed a total of 13 people.
